A Different Life
by Deludedwritergirl
Summary: Nunnally Vi Britannia knew that no matter what happens she would always look after her older sister, that she would be able to live in a safe and gentle world...Even if it meant changing the course of an entire nation.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! So this is my first story and it's been rattling in my head for a few years now so I decided to write it down so that I can see how far I can go with this and just how well it will be :) Enjoy y'all!

Plot: Nunnally Vi Britannia had hidden her and her older sister, Lelouch, away in the safety of Ashford Academy in Area 11 for the past seven years following the events of their mother's assassination that had left Lelouch crippled and blinded. But fate had other plans for them and so when their brother Clovis found them Nunnally swore that she would do whatever it takes to ensure that her sister would be able to live a happy safe life, even if it means bringing down their father and changing the whole course of the Britannian Empire.

I do not own anything in regards to this anime.

* * *

A young girl sat across a man, an amused look in her eyes as she stared at him gaping at the chessboard in front of them.

"Problem, my lord?" She asked as a smirk came across her face.

"B-But how could you - you're - what?!" The young girl stood up as his perplexed expression turned to one of anger "You cheated didn't you?! That's the only possible explanation as to how a girl like you was able to defeat to me!"

"And how is one able to cheat at chess? You nobles are all the same, denying anything that hurts their pride. Simply pay me what you owe me and I won't speak about this to anyone" She turned to leave the room as the man glared at her retreating form but reluctantly took out his wallet and payed the money to the boy who had come with her.

"That was awesome Nunnally! Finished in 8 minutes, a new record!" She stared at her friend, a blue haired boy in an Ashford Academy high school uniform, as he counted the money.

"Come on Rivalz, we have to get going if we're going to make our next class" She put the helmet on her head as she sat down in the sidecar if Rivalz's motorcycle.

"Relax Nunna, you finished that game so fast we have a few minutes to spare," he started up the motorcycle and left the parking lot of the building they were in "Besides. you're just afraid what Lulu would say if she figures out you snuck off to gamble with me"

Nunnally glared at him from where was seated as a grin came across his face. It was true that her older sister, Lelouch, was scary when angry especially in regards to her little sisters safety. Very few things could make her sister mad but everyone knew that if you hurt Nunnally Lamperpouge in anyway hell would rain down on you courtesy of her older sister with the backing of Milly Ashford and by proxy the entire student council. And sneaking off to gamble near the ghettos was a surely enough to make Lelouch give them a lecture.

Lelouch Lamperouge was the most sought after girl at Ashford Academy and it wasn't simply because she was the vice-president of the student council and one of the brightest students in her year. Despite being confined to a wheelchair and no one being able to see the beautiful amethyst eyes that were hidden behind her closed eyelids she still manages to capture the heart of anyone with that sweet smile of hers, the beautiful wavy black hair that cascaded down her back, and the witty personality along with the beautiful mind of hers. Nunnally of course knew that she would always be her sister's main priority and only want the best for her and to keep her safe but sometimes it was very suffocating for her as she was under the watchful eye of not only her sister but the entire student council. She knew of course why her sister was acting this way but she simply wished that her big sister would focus on other things rather than just watching over her baby sister all the time.

"Dammit!" Nunnally looked to Rivalz as the motorcycle came to a stop on the side of the road and Rivalz threw his helmet down in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Nunnally too got up from her seat and took a glance at the vehicle checking for any signs of damage.

"I ran out of gas" Rivalz said sheepishly as he pointed to the meter on his bike that indicated that it had indeed run out of gas.

"Rivalz! I told you to make sure it was full before we left!" Nunnally quickly glanced around to check for two things: one was to see if a gasoline station was nearby and two was if anyone from the army or Royal guard was around. And sure enough she spotted a car decorated with the Imperial flags that indicated that Viceroy Clovis, the third prince of the Empire was nearby "Oh no" she muttered under the breath as she spotted the array of guards near them.

"Don't worry," Rivalz said as he pulled out his phone, completely oblivious to his friends growing concern "I'll just call for service to pick this up then we'll find a cab to take us back to the Academy"

"No Rivalz we have to go, we have to go now!" Nunnally looked back to towards the Royal entourage in fear as she heard the flashing of cameras that indicated that the viceroy was coming out and judging by the distance between them and entourage Clovis would recognize her if he saw them now.

"Nunna I can't just leave this out here - hey what's that?" Rivalz forgot about Nunnally's request as he looked towards the growing crowd coming out from the building near them "oh wow is that Prince Clovis?"

The frantic girl ran to her surprised friends side as she spotted clearly spotted Clovis come out of the building "Rivalz we have to go now!"

"Nunnally why are you such in a rush to leave? If I leave this here my moms gonna kill me!" But Nunnally wasn't listening to him as she made eye contact with Clovis and a recognition came across his face as he took in the ghost before him. She knew that even if it has been years since they last saw each other Clovis would recognize her in a heartbeat, she was one of his favorite siblings after all.

"Oh no Rivalz we have to run!" She didn't wait for him to say anything as she grabbed Rivalz's arm and started to run as Clovis started giving commands to his guards.

"Wha - why are the Royal guards chasing us?!" Nunnally didn't bother to her friend a response as the guards started chasing after them.

'Dammit! Why does this have to happen? Why couldn't the Viceroy have been some faceless noble? Why did it have to him?' She had been so careful in hiding her and Lelouch in Area 11 ever since Clovis was made Viceroy. She made sure whenever she went out that Clovis wasn't in the area, that the times he went to Ashford Academy for some art thing that she and her sister were out or in the club house, and as much as it pained her to do so, kept Lelouch safely hidden away on the grounds of the school. Nunnally knew her sister hated being confined but she just stuck out in a crowd that it was too much of a gamble to let her go anywhere.

Nunnally pulled Rivalz into a hidden alley and stuck to the wall as the guards ran past them.

"What the hell is going?!" Nunnally put her hand over Rivalz's mouth as she put a finger over her mouth.

"Look, I can't tell you all the details right now but you have to get ahead to the school and tell Milly and my sister what happened and to get ready"

"Wha - get ready for what? I'm not leaving you alone with the Royal guards chasing us!"

"They're not after you just me - let me finish!" She exclaimed as she saw Rivalz start to protest "They're not gonna stop till they find me but it's not you they want. Just go to the school and tell Milly and my sister ok?"

Rivalz relented once he knew the sandy haired teen wasn't backing down "Fine but you aren't in trouble are you?"

"I'm not, it's just my past has come back to haunt me. Now go! The guards are coming" She saw the confused expression on his face but didn't wait for a reply as she gave him a quick hug and ran off knowing full well she wouldn't be able to out run the guards now that Clovis has seen her, he wouldn't stop until she was found. But at the very least she could her sister a few minutes to say goodbye to her friends and to prepare before they were thrown back to the lion's den.

* * *

Lelouch took a deep breath as she felt Milly take her hands into her own "Don't worry Lulu," said Milly to the worried older sister "I'm sure they're just running late"

"They missed their last class. Whenever they go out they always at least make it back in time for their last class," said Lelouch as she slumped in her wheelchair "I know I shouldn't over react but whenever Nunnally does this kind of stuff I can't help but worry"

"Rivalz! There you are! We've been looking all over you, where's Nunnally? You had Lelouch so worried!" He was gasping for breath as he stared at Shirley who was too busy shouting at him to notice he was out of breath and sweating. He looked past her and saw Nina and Milly beside a worried yet angry looking Lelouch. Nina was behind Lelouch's wheelchair while Milly was kneeling beside the black haired girl holding her hand.

"Yes Rivalz," said Lelouch as she glared straight ahead of her to where she thought Rivalz was "Where is my sister? Please don't tell me you two went out gambling again"

Rivalz gulped as he noticed Lelouch's glare. She always yelled at him when he brought Nunnally out and preceeded to give him the silent treatment for weeks on end "W-Well we were out but then the motorcycle ran out of gas and then we were being chased by the Royal guards!" Shirley stopped her shouting as she processed what Rivalz had just said but he was concentrating on Lelouch and Milly as both their faces seemed to turn pale "Nunnally told me to come back here and tell Milly and Lelouch to get ready before she took off running again! Wha - what does she mean get ready?!"

Nobody spoke as they stared at their President and Vice-President who had both gone very pale.

"Well?" Rivalz walked towards them till he was right in front of Lelouch "What did Nunnally mean?"

Lelouch took a deep breath as she said "Get ready to go back home"

"Home? I thought your parents died when Britannia invaded here" Shirley had stood beside Rivalz as everyone stared at Lelouch.

The story the siblings had crafted when they came to the Ashford family for help was that they were separated from their parents and that they were most probably dead and that Lelouch had gained her injuries after they were caught in a shootout between Britannian forces and Japanese forces. They had stayed with the Ashford family since as the family had been good friends with their parents, which was somewhat true.

Before Lelouch could respond however Sayoko came in and said "Mistress Lelouch, the chairman called. He said Prince Clovis is here with Mistress Nunnally waiting for you"


	2. Chapter 2

Nunnally ran for as long as she could but she wasn't the best at physical activities and eventually the guards had caught up to her after she ran for a good 10 minutes all over the Tokyo settlement just trying to lose them. She had struggled as hard as she could but a skinny teenage girl was no match against specially trained guards.

They dragged her into a black car, stuffed her inside and closed the door. She took a moment to fix herself before she noticed the figure across her who was staring at her with a shocked expression.

"Nunnally - is it - is it really you?" Clovis stared at her with disbelief.

The girl before him looked a lot like his younger sister. Granted it had been about seven years since he last saw the Vi Britannia siblings but there was no mistaking those amethyst eyes and the long sandy colored hair on this girl that was reminiscent of Nunnally Vi Britannia. This has to be her, it was too much of a coincidence for a girl to have his sisters same features, When Lady Marianne had been killed and Lelouch blinded and crippled he was one of the few who had stayed by her side when she was in the hospital and had consoled the young Nunnally through the rough time. They had been one of the few siblings he enjoyed spending time with, Lelouch had been his partner in crime in their childhood days while Nunnally was ever so ready to stand in a painting for him, so when they had been shipped off to Japan and subsequently declared dead after the invasion he had spent days in grief before he and Cornelia flew to newly acquired Area 11 in search of their lost siblings. Even years after their deaths he had held hope that they had somehow survived the invasion.

"Hello brother," Nunnally held her head up high as she stared at Clovis as he smiled and even seemed to be on the verge of tears "It's been a long time"

"I - I can't believe you're actually here. When you and Lelouch were pronounced dead, I was so devastated. Even Schneizel let his rocky exterior fade for a moment! Oh my Lelouch! If you're alive she must be as well right?!" Clovis had moved beside her in the car as his smile seemed to get wider at the prospect of seeing Lelouch as well.

"Yes she is alive and well" Nunnally would've preferred to let Lelouch continue living at Ashford with her friends but she knew that even if she lied, if Clovis had found her it would only be a matter of time before Clovis looked into her past and found her sister as well.

Clovis' excitement only seemed to grow at the news "oh how wonderful! Where is she? Euphemia will be so glad to hear that you two are alive"

"She's at Ashford Academy that's where we've been for the past seven years"

"Well then we have to go there and get her!" Clovis leaned forward and tapped on the window separating them from the driver "To Ashford Academy please"

"Right away your highness" and just like that the car began to move.

Nunnally gave out a sight as the car began to move and Clovis leaned back beside her "You must simply tell me all that's happened to you and Lelouch - " Clovis had leaned forward to grab a drink from the mini bar to his right but Nunnally wasn't really listening as he began to ramble on about what they should now that he's found them alive or what the entire family has been up to.

The young princess knew that with Clovis in Area 11 there was always the chance that Lelouch and her would've been caught. But she had always hoped that that time would never come, that she could've kept the little family she had made at Ashford. Her sister had never fully understood why she had chosen to go to the Ashford family for refuge instead of contacting Britannian forces and saying who they were, but she knew that something had transpired between Nunnally and her father that had gotten them sent to Japan in the first place but she never pressed the issue. So she had relented to stay with the Ashford's saying if that's what made Nunnally happy then she'll go along with it.

Nunnally could still remember the event that had led them to being sent to Japan in the first place. The very reason why she never wanted to go back to her family.

-FLASHBACK-

 _It was two days after she had lost her mother, two days since her sister was put in the hospital but even though the Empress had just been assassinated and the Third princess injured there was no breakthrough in the investigation as to who had broken into Ares Villa and gunned them down._

 _"Nunnally? Are you ok?" At the sound of her name Nunnally turned around to find Schneizel by the word with Clovis, Cornelia, and Euphy behind "Can we come in?"_

 _She was too tired to speak so she simply nodded her head as she turned her attention back to her sister. Her big sister who she always looked up to and always protected her was lying in a hospital, her legs and eyes bandaged, clinging to life while their mother was at the morgue being prepared for burial. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had lost her mother, her sister had lost both her eyes and legs and no one seemed to have a clue as to who was behind it all._

 _"How's Lelouch?" Euphy had sat beside her as she wrapped an arm around her, the pink haired girl had been here every chance she got just staying by Nunnally's side._

 _"The doctors said it's likely she'll never walk again," Nunnally spoke in a soft voice as she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she relieved that horrible day the doctors had given her the news "The bullets went through her legs, there's no room to fix them, and that_ she's succumb _to hysterical blindness, it's unlikely she'll ever see again"_

 _"Oh Nunnally, I'm so sorry" Cornelia was the one who spoke and had walked to towards her to squeeze her shoulder as Euphy gave her a hug._

 _"Have they found who've done it yet?" Nunnally croaked as she wiped the tears from her face._

 _"No," said Schneizel as he sat on the other side of Lelouch's bed "Whoever did it left no trace and all the leads we have so far are dead ends. I'm sorry"_

 _"I want to speak to father" As soon as she said this both Euphy and Cornelia had let go of her and everyone in the room all tensed._

 _"_ Nunnally _are you sure that's a good idea?" Asked Clovis tentatively as he stared at the broken little girl who was clinging onto her big sister._

 _"Yes, I want to speak to him" Nunnally gripped onto her_ sisters _hand as she said this. Two_ day _since she lost her mother and her sister confined to the hospital but once had she seen the emperor, her father, come in to even visit them, to even check on she was doing or how her sister was. He was their father! His wife had just been assassinated and his daughter crippled and blinded but he still focused on other matters? What kind of a father was he? Well...she was about to find out soon._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

After that she had gotten a meeting with her father thank to Schneizel, and had just found out what kind of father he was. Afterwards he had sent her and her still recovering sister to Japan as political hostages and had invaded the country with them still in it, didn't even try to get them out before the invasion.

 _'Mother! Sister!'_

 _'I renounce my claim to the throne!'_

 _'You are dead, dead from the moment you were born'_

 _'Hey! Don't attack my sister!'_

 _'_ Nunnally _what's that smell?'_

 _'I swear Suzaku...I will...obliterate Britannia!'_

Nothing has ever been the same since the day she lost her mother, she saw the true nature of her family and just how nitty gritty the court was. She may have been eight at the time but the moment the bullets shattered the glass at the Ares Villa she lost her childhood.

That was why she never went in search of a way to contact her family after the invasion ended. After seeing just what her father thought of his children, just how easy it was for the court to switch sides, she decided she never wanted to have anything to do with her family. She knew that if she had gone back her sister, who was seen as a weakling after the attack, would have been thrown aside and there was no way she was allowing that to happen.

"Nunnally? Nunnally!" She was brought out of her musings as Clovis shook her arm "We're here" and sure enough as she looked out the windows she saw the gates to the prestigious Ashford Academy, the place that has been her home for seven years.

* * *

"What?!" Both Shirley and Rivalz had shouted at Sayoko's announcement, Nina seemed startled while Milly threw a worried glance at Lelouch as the girl gripped her hand.

"Why is the Viceroy here?!" Exclaimed Shirley as Sayoko made her way towards Lelouch.

"I've been ordered to bring you to the chairman's office" said Sayoko as Nina moved away from the maid who gripped the handle Lelouch's wheelchair.

"Milly," said Lelouch as she felt her chair begin to move "Thank you for everything you and your family has done for us"

Milly smiled a sad smile as she hugged the girl who's become a sister to her since she arrived at her house all dirty on the back of her younger sisters back with nothing more than the clothes they wore "Of course Lulu, anytime"

She let go of the girl and Sayoko pushed her away to her grandfathers office.

"Milly," the blonde girl turned around to find all three members staring at her with shock and confusion "What the hell is going on?!" Shouted Shirley as Lelouch and Sayoko left the room.

Milly gave a sigh as she stared at them. This was going to be a long explanation.

"Ok look," said Milly as the three students walked towards her with curious expressions on their faces "Nunnally and Lelouch's real name is Vi Britannia and they're respectively the twelfth and third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire"

"They're princesses?! Then why are they living here in a school rather than at the homeland?" excalimed Rivalz as he looked ready to faint. Lelouch had been his best friend since grade school and to know that she's lied to him for their entire friendship must hurt.

"When they were kids their mother, Lady Marianne, was shot by terrorists at their home and Lelouch was caught in the crossfire." Understanding came onto their faces as they got the real reason as to how Lelouch winded up in the wheelchair "Nunnally went to their father and demanded to know why it was so easy for her mother to be gunned down, when he didn't give in to her requests she renounced her claim to the throne and her father exiled her and Lelouch to Japan as political hostages"

"Then why are they still here?" asked Nina in her soft voice "If they were royalty then shouldn't they have been taken out of the country before the invasion?"

Milly sighed as she continued her story "Well, they weren't. The country was invaded even though they were still here and they weren't found by Britannian forces so everyone assumed they were dead when in reality they were in hiding with us"

"B-But why were they with you?" demanded Shirley "They should've gone back to the homeland!"

"That is true but Nunna didn't trust the court. She knew the ideals they held ' _the strong shall devour the weak_ ' and all that. And with Lelouch being the way she is, she knew if they went back wouldn't survive there. Not to mention she always suspected the people who killed her mother weren't terrorist" Milly still remembered the day the two siblings arrived at their home. Both exhausted and dirty from their long trek yet Nunnally still had the energy to make sure that their backstories were carefully crafted for them. At that moment Milly knew just how much Nunnally would do for her big sister.

"Does that mean that the nobles were the ones who killed the Empress?!" exclaimed Shirley as the realization of what Milly said sunk in.

"Be quiet!" exclaimed Milly as she brought a finger to her lips and glared at all of them "No one can know about that, just keep that part of the story to yourselves you got it?"

All three of the nodded as Rivalz asked "But does that mean that they're in danger then?"

"I'm not sure about that" Milly said as her head dropped to the floor in defeat.


	3. Chapter 3

As Sayoko pushed her down the halls of Ashford Academy Lelouch gripped the sides of her wheelchair as she heard the whispers of the students.

'Did you see Prince Clovis?'

'Was that Nunally Lamperouge he was with?!'

'Why is he here?'

'Do you think Nunally's being arrested?!'

Lelouch may be blind but she always knew what her sister was feeling. When they had been traversing war torn Japan she could feel the tension coming from her sister whenever she mentioned their family. She never got the full details as to what exactly happened between her and their father that led them being sent to Japan but Lelouch never pushed for the details, she could feel Nunally tense up and shake with anger when the topic was brought up. So when they went in search of the Ashford's rather than their family she didn't push why. Nunnally had given up so much just so that she, the older sister, can be taken care of. She was confined to a wheelchair and blind but if she could at the very least make her sister happy she'd do it even if it meant never seeing her other siblings again as Nunnally was all she needed.

There was no denying though that she was a bit happy at being found by Clovis. There had always been a small part of her that wished Clovis would find them when he had been made Viceroy, she knew it was selfish of her but she simply wanted it so that Nunnally wouldn't focus on her all the time. They may have been taken in by the Ashford's but at the time they weren't sure for how long the family could take care of them. When their mother died the Ashford family had fallen from grace and had fled to the then Japan to try and pick themselves up. But Nunnally wasn't taken any chances with it so as soon as possible she had tried to find anything she could to do to earn money and had kept it for them in case the Ashford's were not able to support them. Even now with the family stable she still went out gambling in chess games, yes Lelouch knew about that as she would make Rivalz tell her but she could never stop Nunnally from going out, just so that the siblings had another way to take care of themselves. Lelouch had always felt weak that she couldn't do something of the sort to pull her weight around the house so whatever Nunally asked of her she did it just so that her sister would smile, but now that they had been she hoped that Nunnally wouldn't worry so much and be able to be a normal teenager, well as normal as a princess could get.

"Mistress Lelouch," said Sayoko as she felt her chair stop "We're here. Would you like me to accompany you inside?"

"No thank you I'll be fine" she said as she heard the door open in front of her "Thank you for everything Miss Sayoko"

She rolled herself into the room and she could hear the scraping of chairs against the floor and someone gasp as soon as the door closed behind her. Footsteps walked towards her and she felt someone take her hands into their own and felt a hand touch her face. Though it had been years since she felt these hands she could already tell who it was and her thoughts were confirmed as soon as she heard the voice, something she's heard on the news time and time again.

"Lelouch, it really is you. I can't believe you and Nunnally are alive!" She felt hands wrap around her and she gladly returned the hug.

"Hello Clovis, it's so good you're here again" Lelouch felt his hands tighten around her and she felt tears start to swell in her eyes.

"Ruben thank you for all the help you've given us it's wonderful" said Nunally as she turned towards the man who's taken care of her and her sister all these years "I'll never forget it"

"Oh you, it's been my pleasure. Just watch yourself will you?" She chuckled as Ruben Ashford clapped her on the back.

As Nunnally looked toward her sister and Clovis she knew one thing was certain. If she and her sister were going back to the lions den that was the Royal court then she'd make sure that her sister was as safe as she could be.

* * *

"Oh I can't wait to see Euphy! I've missed her oh so much" said Lelouch later that night. Lelouch didn't want to leave Clovis after being with him again so soon so when he offered to take them back to Viceroy's palace she immediately said yes and Nunallt could never deny her sister as soon as she saw that sweet smile on her face.

"She's missed you two oh so much, when you two get back to Pendragon tomorrow I'm sure she'll never let you out of her sight" Nunnally coughed up the water she had been drinking as soon as Clovis said that.

"T - Tomorrow?" She said as she wiped her mouth "That's pretty fast. I mean you only found us today"

"Oh I know but when I told Schneizel he arranged for a plane to bring you two back to the mainland as soon as possible"  
Said Clovis oblivious to how quickly Nunnally's mood seemed to change.

Nunnally went back to picking at her food as Lelouch and Clovis went back to catching up with her laughing and commenting at the right time. She didn't expect to be sent back to the homeland so soon, as much as she hated to admit it she was not ready to her father. She half expected what will happen as soon as she went back to court. Everyone would be vying her, trying to get into her good graces simply because her father was the emperor. Her sister would be used by her father as a tool to keep her in place and she would be oblivious to what was going. But seeing that big smile on Lelouch's face and just how relaxed she was she knew that despite her fears of the court she had made the right decision for her sister.

She knew that she'd have to find someone who could help her keep Lelouch safe, she'd have to find allies and strengthen herself amongst the nobles if she was going to survive court and keep her sister safe.

* * *

"We will be approaching Pendragon soon your majesties"

Nunnally looked out the window and sure enough she saw the majestic city of Pendragon, the home she hadn't been to in the last seven years. She turned over and slightly shook her sister awake.

"Big sister it's time to wake up" Lelouch sat up a little straighter and gripped onto Nunnally's hand as she felt the plane begin to descend.

"Oh Nunnally aren't you just happy? We're going to be home soon! Is Pendragon still as beautiful as it was before? Can you describe it to me?" Nunnally turned towards her sister and seeing that big smile on her face she began to describe Pendragon.

As soon as the plane landed a guard came by with Lelouch's wheelchair and Nunnally gently carried her sister and placed her in the chair. She then went behind her sister and pushed her out of the plane.

Lelouch reached behind her and grabbed her sisters hand as they went down "Are you sure you're fine Nunna? You seem kind of tense"

Nunnally took a deep breath as she calmed herself, she didn't want to worry her sister right now. She smiled as she said "Don't worry big sister, I'm just a bit tired from the flight" Before Lelouch could respond however they were interrupted by a cry of surprise and a blur of pink hair clung herself onto Lelouch so fast she nearly fell out of the chair if Nunnally hadn't held on tight to the chair.

"Euphy?" Exclaimed Nunnally as she took in the sight of the pink haired princess kneeling beside Lelouch and hugging her tightly.

"Oh it's so wonderful that you two are alive!" Euphy stood up and went to hug Nunnally so quickly that they both fell to the ground. She took notice though of the two other people that were there along with the array of royal guards that surrounded them.

"Euphemia give them some space, we have all the time to catch up now" said Cornelia as she walked forward with Schneizel and knelt down to hug Lelouch "It's so wonderful to have you back"

"Cornelia? Is that really you?" Lelouch returned the hug and squeezed on tightly to the older woman.

"Yes it is, Schneizel is here as well" Cornelia moved aside and let Schneizel kneel down and take the young girls hand into his own "It's such a miracle you two are here with us, when Clovis called me saying you two were alive I dropped everything to come here to make sure myself" said Schneizel as Euphy leaned over to hug Lelouch from behind.

"It's so good to see you all again," said Lelouch as she squeezed Euphy "Nunnally and I have missed you all so much, right Nunna?"

Nunnally shook herself from the ground as she took in the small family reunion before her. A smile made its way onto her face as she said "It truly is great to be back here we you all again"

"Oh Nunnally I'm so glad you and Lelouch are here with us again! When we got the news that Clovis had found you I didn't spare a moment getting here!" exclaimed Euphy as she took charge of Lelouch's wheelchair and began walking towards the car that was awaiting them.

"It truly is a miracle that you and Lelouch are with us again" said Schneizel as she slung her arm around Nunnally's shoulders and they all made their way towards the car.

Nunnally saw Euphy trying to lift Lelouch into the car but was miserably failing in doing so "Euphy let me-" she began but Schneizel had beat her to the punch and had begun lifted Lelouch from her chair and into the car. She could see Lelouch smile from where she was standing and at that moment she took notice of just how much things were going to change here.

* * *

It was the evening and Nunnally was walking around Ares Villa just reminiscing about the past, she hadn't been here in seven years and her last memories of this place weren't exactly so pleasant. Lelouch was in one of the rooms catching up with Schneizel and playing chess, he was the one who had taught her how to play in the first place and the only one she could never beat. Cornelia and Euphy had been called back by their mother earlier so they had no choice but to leave while Schneizel stayed behind to keep the two siblings company.

She had been walking around for the past half hour and it seemed as if nothing had changed since she left. The furniture remained the same, she could still see the scratches that the cat Lelouch and Clovis had brought it in made, the fountain where she would run around with Euphy and argue who'd get to play tea time with Lelouch, and the gardens. Her favorite part about her old home was the gardens, she would spend hours outside surrounded by the numerous flowers and just run around getting her dresses dirty and watching her mother have tea with the ladies and Lelouch sit under a tree reading a book.

She was outside looking at the flowers when Schneizel approached her.

"So how have you been little sister?" She turned around and saw her brother standing behind her with an amused grin on his face "Lelouch has been chatting my ear off all night but she eventually got tired though I noticed you never even stopped by to talk"

"Yeah, I just wanted to look around the Villa. See just how much has changed since we left" Nunnally examined Schneizel closer and saw how his shoulders were tense "You don't seem relaxed. Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Schneizel chuckled as he walked closer to her "Ever observant dear sister," he took a deep breath as he stopped in front of her "Father has asked that as soon as I confirm that it really is you and Lelouch that you make an appearance at court"

Nunnally stared at her brother for a moment trying to process for a moment just what he had said. Her father wanted her to go back to court, the very same one where she had renounced her claim to the throne, her father banished her and basically humiliated herself in front of all her other siblings and nobles present.

"S-So when am I going to court?" Schneizel sighed as he took in Nunnally's shocked appearance.

"I called Father as soon as we arrived at Ares Villa, he said he wants to see you tomorrow"


	4. Chapter 4

_'I can't believe they survived'_

 _'I can't believe she had the guts to come back even'_

 _'Oh I hope she doesn't throw another fit like last time'_

 _'You think his majesty is going to send her away again?'_

Even with all the chatter around her Nunnally held her head up high as she walked towards the Emperor, the man she despised more than anything in the world. Though it has been seven years since she last saw her father he had not changed one bit, the same towering figure that loomed over her, the rolls of white hair, the broad chest decorated in blue and gold. It was as if she was six years old again, high on emotions as she stormed towards her father despite the whispering and looks from all the other nobles. She kept her face neutral as she neared the Emperor and as soon as she was near him, reluctantly went down on one knee with her head bowed and said "Your majesty, my sister and I have returned home."

"Well if it isn't the former twelfth princess, Nunnally Vi Britannia. Tell me, why did you and your sister hide yourselves for the past seven years in Area 11."

Nunnally stood up and looked the man straight in the eyes as she clenched her fists to contain her anger "His majesty sent us to Area 11 and disowned us, hence I saw no reason to return back to the Royal family."

Gasps rang out through the entire court and she could hear the words _brat,_ and _ungrateful_ being thrown amongst the nobles. Of course anything she said would be taken into offense, as of now she was the black sheep of the Imperial family. The Emperor gazed at her, contemplating what to do with his daughter, and Nunnally did not like the gaze he had. It gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach as the Emperor went silent for a few seconds.

"Well irregardless you are here. You and your sister have come back from the depths of hell in tact, proudly showing just how strong my bloodline is." It was just like him to turn her and her sister traversing a war torn Japan with nothing but the clothes on their backs thanks to him invading the country into a show of how magnificent the Royal family was, despite most of her other siblings being too timid to even look at a dead body and preferred to go to the Areas simply for shopping, an example being her older sister Guinevere.

"Though you still have to earn the right to truly be called a princess of Britannia. Seeing as you spent seven years living among the Elevens, you will be sent back to Area 11 and be Clovis' sub-viceroy." Nunnally stared at her father wide-eyed, she expected to be sent to the military to follow in Cornelia's footsteps or worse, be married off to some noble that would help her father gain whatever he wanted. But to be put in charge of an entire Area with no formal training whatsoever? But if she was going back to Area 11 then what was going happen to Lelouch? It was clear to Nunnally that the Emperor saw nothing to be gained from Lelouch, she was weak and therefore useless in his eyes, so what would happen to her precious big sister? Would she be the one being married off for political gain? Was that all she would be good for?

"Your majesty," Nunnally asked timidly, she didn't want to push her luck here. The Emperor seemed to generous with her compared to last "If I may ask, what is going to happen to my sister?"

"That weakling?" Nunnally clenched her fists even tighter at that "I have no use for her, she can go back with you to Area 11 and continue her studies. That is until I find some use for her if you fail in your as sub-viceroy." The smirk he gave the young girl was clear, he knew just the right way to keep Nunnally tame and he wasn't going to let it slip away from him. Nunnally would have to follow whatever he wanted or else Lelouch would pay the price.

"An announcement will be made later today regarding the Vi Britannia's survival and you two will be on the first plane back to Area 11 tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, your majesty." Nunnally bowed and walked away we new found determination. She was going to play along with whatever he wanted until she could find a way to escape his manipulative clutches.

* * *

"Seven years ago in the invasion of Area 11 the Britannian Empire were victorious as we showed just how strong we are. Sadly that victory came with a price; the deaths of the Princess Lelouch and Princess Nunnally Vi Britannia. However, today I am proud to announce that they have survived showing that the strong will win over the weak! They are a true testament to how we, Britannia, fight, compete, and triumph over the rest! Our beloved Britannia strives for progress and for the sake of progress Princess Nunnally, the twelfth princess, will be made sub-viceroy of Area 11. Using all the knowledge she's gained from living there for the past seven years to squash all those beneath us, to help the strong survive, and to keep our nation from toppling. Let their survival serve as a reminder that we will never stop fighting, that we will always survive! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

As the cry echoed in the hall Nunnally had to clench her fist to keep herself from glaring at her father. Only he would use their survival as an agenda to push forward his Social Darwinism ideals, to energize all the arrogant prideful nobles into further oppressing those beneath them. She had to force her to keep the smile on her face as she could feel the camera pointed towards her and Lelouch, she had to keep playing the part of an obedient daughter if she wanted to keep her sister safe. She had to-

"Nunnally?" She turned to her right as she felt a hand touch hers, gently uncurling the clenched fist and holding onto it. Nunnally hadn't noticed but the announcement had ended and everyone seemed to be filing out of the room, headed towards the ball that had been organized in their honor. "You're happy aren't you?" Lelouch's face was filled with concern as she held onto her sisters hand, Nunnally saw the worried look on her face as she relaxed her body and knelt down to her sister, taking both of Lelouch's hands into her own.

"As long you're happy big sister I am too. How about you? Are you happy we're back here?"

"I don't care where we are Nunnally, as long as I have you I'm happy. But yes I am we're back, ever since we were sent to Area 11 you've become so distant. Always holding yourself at a distance from others, rarely letting others in and I hope that being back with our family could change that. That you get to stop worrying about me and start worrying about yourself." Nunnally remained silent as she stared at Lelouch who had a sad smile on her face as she took Nunnally's face into her hands and stroked her hair "I know I haven't been able to be the big sister I'm supposed to be, that you had to grow quickly, that you always had to look after me because I'm stuck in this wheelchair but I hope that you at least just let yourself go for a moment and focus on yourself. I'll be fine now that my little sister is sub-viceroy."

"Oh big sister," Nunnally took both of Lelouch's hands off her face and hugged her sister "I'm always going to be looking after you, no matter what." At that point Nunnally didn't care if she let her guard down in front of her father for a moment, she wanted to reassure her sister.

* * *

That night Nunnally had been introduced to over a hundred people that day that were just 'oh so joyed she was alive' despite the fact that she was 100% sure she had never even met them once in her life. She had finally managed to escape their clutches and had hidden herself at the back of the room, content to just watch everyone from a distance.

Though she had admit that this night wasn't a complete waste, she managed to make a mental list of people she could use to support herself in court and after a few drinks, nobles sure did like to talk. She always knew she wasn't the strategic mastermind that Lelouch and Schneizel were, as fierce or military enabled as Cornelia was, the charming and eccentric person that Clovis was, or the sweet kind hearted person that Euphemia was who had people wrapped around her finger with her looks and smile. When she was younger Nunnally had always been told that she had people wrapped around her finger with her innocent face and sweet personality always warming up to anyone regardless of who they were, but after seven years she knew that she had drastically changed. At Ashford people had called her the 'ice queen' because of how cold and distant she always was to people, in fact some couldn't believe she was actually related to Lelouch because of how drastically different the two were. She had only ever shown her true self to the student council, even those were rare, her sister of course, and Suzaku Kururugi, a childhood friend of hers from before the invasion. So for now the best way to support herself and her sister was to make connections that could hopefully help her when she needed it, after all most of these people wanted get in the good graces of the Royal family so they were basically putty in her hands tonight.

"A princess should be seen socializing with people, not hiding in the back." Nunnally turned around and saw Schneizel standing a few feet away from her, a bemused smirk on his face. "I certainly wasn't expecting this from you, as a child you were always out on the dance floor socializing with anyone."

"Well things change big brother. I'm not the same little girl I was seven years ago."

"Clearly," Schneizel walked towards her till he was right beside her "Lelouch filled me in on what has changed for you both over the years, especially her concern for your drastic change in behavior."

Nunnally sighed at that and rubbed her temples, even before the talk she and her sister had awhile ago she already knew just how much Lelouch worried about her. Despite Nunnally's protests that she was fine Lelouch always tried to engage her in activities she deemed 'normal' for a 15 year old, which was why Lelouch humored her whenever she snuck off with Rivalz and skipped classes, it was one of the few breaths of fresh air of normalcy the two got.

"Oh I know about that, she's always been that way since we came to Area 11. But I suppose that happens when a six year old is left a war zone and forced to take care of her cripple and blind older sister." Nunnally didn't mean to sound hostile but she couldn't help herself. She always had to remain calm and collected in front of Lelouch, she just didn't want her to worry so much and holding up all her frustration was just a bomb waiting to explode.

She had expected Schneizel to be shocked at what she said but she was surprised when the Second prince put his hands in his pants, shook his head, and chuckled at her.

"Oh dear sister that was seven years ago, you're not alone anymore."

Nunnally was staring at him with her mouth opening and closing just trying to figure out how to respond. He wasn't suggesting that he and her work together was he? Sure Schneizel was one of her favorite siblings but, like all her other siblings, she didn't trust him one bit. Each of her siblings had their own agenda and she doesn't know what Schneizel's was, he was just too unpredictable to know what he was planning.

"Just what are you suggesting brother?" asked Nunnally apprehensively.

"I know you aren't too pleased with returning to the Royal family. But why don't I make it more tolerable? You need someone who can support you in court, I can help with that. So what do you say?" The look on his face confirmed what Nunnally was thinking. Schenizel wanted them to be ally's. Sure it wasn't uncommon in the Royal family for two siblings to ally themselves with each other but that rarely happened, it was a do or die race for the throne and that meant every man for himself. Nunnally looked at Schneizel with a calculating look as she weighed the options in her mind. Having the Prime Minister of Britannia supporting her would mean a great deal of support but on the other hand this was Schneizel, a mastermind at manipulating people to do what he wanted.

"I'd love for your help big brother." Nunnally put her best innocent smile on her face, she may not trust Schneizel but she wasn't going to let it this opportunity go to waste.

"Well," Schneizel put his drink down and offered her his arm "Why don't we go and dance then?"

* * *

"I still can't believe how good at chess you've gotten."

Lelouch and Nunnally were on a plane headed straight for Area 11 and to kill time Lelouch had decided that they should play a game of chess. Due to Lelouch being confined in a wheelchair there wasn't much activities she could, but playing chess was one activity she still found a way to play despite not being able to see the board. Her favorite game as a child was chess, if she playing with Nunnally and Euphy or sitting under a tree reading a book then she'd be playing chess against Schneizel of Clovis, so Lelouch wasn't about to let her lack of sight stop her from playing.

"Well after constantly playing against you for the past seven years I've picked up a few tricks." Both girls chuckled at memories of their past. Nunnally wasn't always the chess player she was now, but when they had lived in a run down shack they called home chess was one of few things Lelouch could as she was still recovering so Nunnally had spent hours learning the game to make her sister happy.

"Checkmate. Clearly those tricks aren't enough to beat me."

Nunnally pouted as she slumped in her seat and then smiled at the chuckling form of her sister across from her.

"I forgot there's something I wanted to give you before I went back to school." said Lelouch as she moved her hands to grab a box from the side of the seat. As soon as they landed Lelouch would be escorted back to Ashford Academy with a number of Clovis' guards protecting her while Nunnally would head straight to the Viceroy's palace to immediately begin her duties as Sub-viceroy.

"Here," Lelouch handed her a small box with a big smile on her face "Go on open it."

Nunnally opened the box and inside was a somewhat poorly folded origami crane and a picture. She pulled out the picture and stared at it. It was her, Lelouch, and her mother sitting at the gardens of Ares Villa, Lelouch was standing slightly off from them, Nunnally was leaning on her mother's lap, and her mother had a blue hat on her head and that Mona Lisa like smile of hers. She remembered posing for that picture. Clovis had wanted to paint the small family but all knew that Nunnally couldn't stand still for more than a few seconds so they opted to take a picture and give it to Clovis to paint. It was also one of the last pictures they took as a family before their mother died.

"How do you have this?" The last time Nunnally had seen this was on a picture fram in Lelouch's room. When Lelouch and her were exiled to Japan they didn't have time to take any personal possessions with them so anything that could've reminded them of their mother was left behind at Ares Villa.

"Euphy gave it to me. Apparently when we were announced dead she took some of our possessions with her, she gave that back to me the day we arrived and I supposed you could have it. I mean a picture would be pretty useless to me..."

Lelouch trailed off as she fidgeted in her seat. It was times such as this that she felt like tearing up. It had been seven years since she could see, seven years since she saw sunshine, colors, or her sister's smile. Over the years she had been imaging how Nunnally had grown in her head based on the last time she had been able to actually see the younger girl. At times she would ask Sayoko to describe Nunnally to her to try and get a better idea but it just wasn't enough. But at this point she wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that she couldn't have a proper glimpse at her sister or that she was beginning to forget how her mother looked like.

The last true image Lelouch had of her mother, or of anything really, was of Marianne's lifeless dead eyes staring at her with blood spilling from her lips as she felt the life steadily fade from her mother's body as well as the immense pain in her legs. What actually happened during her mother's death was a bit hazy from her mind but each year, as she felt the image of her mother, that bright smile on her face and the joy in her eyes, begin to fade and be replaced with the lifeless face she last saw, she always asked Nunnally to describe what her mother looked like. From her hair color to the color of the shoes she wore, she always tried envision it in her mind and just keep it there.

Nunnally stared as her sister's mood seemed to deflate within seconds. She knew that between losing her legs and losing her sight Lelouch was most bothered by her blindness. As a child she was always lethargic, unless Nunnally or Euphemia would force her to play with them in the garden she would sit under a tree and just read or play chess with Schneizel or Clovis so Lelouch wasn't that bothered by being bound to a wheelchair. But over the years Nunnally took notice of just how bothered Lelouch was by not being able to see, she tried to brighten up their home by bringing in things that could make sound; playing the piano for her sister when it was the two of them, bringing someone who could talk to Lelouch nonstop, or simply leaving the radio on for her sister. Lelouch would always smile and thank her but both knew it was never enough.

Nunnally reached across the table and grasped Lelouch's hand in her own, forcing the older girl to relax. "Thank you for this, I will keep it with me all the time. And when you can see again it will be yours."

Lelouch smiled at that, though it might never happen Nunnally always held out hope that one day she would open her eyes and be able to see the world.

"But what's this crane?" Nunnally took hold of the crane and stared at it. She had seen a couple of these around the clubhouse from time to time and compared to the first few that she had seen this one was slightly better despite the obvious lines in the paper that indicated it had taken several tries before it reached this form.

"Oh!" Lelouch perked up at the question. "Sayoko was beginning to teach me how to fold paper cranes before we left. She said that if you fold 1,000 of those then your wish will come true!"

"Well, what's your wish big sister?"

Lelouch went silent at that. At first her wish was that she could see again but after everything that's happened, after having the past be brought up all over and now having to see her sister grow up even fast, fully leaving behind any hope of a normal life and exposing herself to the terrorists at Area 11 and the evils of the court her wish had changed.

"I wish for a gentler world. A world where you, and everyone else, will be safe."

Nunnally grasped Lelouch's hand tighter at the answer "And by the time you open your eyes it will be."

 _'I can make sure of that now'_

Her sister deserved more than the plate life handed her and despite being back in the Royal family, she was in a position to fulfill her sister's wish, and she was going to do whatever it took to fulfill it.


	5. Chapter 5

SORRY THIS TOOK SUCH A LOOOOOOONG TIME TO UPDATE. I'VE BEEN SO SWAMPED WITH SCHOOL CAUSE IT'S MY SENIOR YEAR BUT NOW THINGS HAVE CALMED DOWN SO HOPEFULLY I CAN UPDATE MORE SOON!

ANYWAYS, ONWARD WITH THE STORY!

* * *

"And this where you'll be staying." Clovis opened the door and she was greeted with the sight of a magnificent suite. The entire room seemed to be bigger than the floor that she and Lelouch stayed at in the clubhouse, it was decorated with every piece of art imaginable from the small statues near the sofa to the painting over the fireplace. Trust Clovis to splurge on art, a passion of his, and decorate every inch of the room with it. But besides the art there seemed to be some sort of familiarity to the room before her.

Her brother seemed to sense what she was thinking and said "I had this modeled after some parts of Ares Villa, especially the gardens. So I hope you'll feel right at home here. Uhm anyways I'll leave you to get settled in."

"You always did love the gardens there." Nunnally chuckled softly to herself as she heard the door close behind her.

* * *

Lelouch sat in her room as she was reading, for about the thousandth time, _The Count of Monte Cristo_ as soft classical music played quietly in the background as her slender fingers glided over the book on her lap. Nunnally had dropped her off about half an hour ago and was probably already at the Viceroy's palace.

Clovis had gotten a memo before yesterday that Nunnally would be his Sub-Viceroy and had sent his men to the school to collect some of her things to be brought to the Viceroy's palace, Lelouch supposed her brother wanted Nunnally to feel at home despite the big change to her life. But Lelouch could still feel the emptiness at home, she was so used to hearing the frustrated sounds her sister made as she did her homework or some paperwork that Milly had dumped on her. She missed the way the smell of Nunnally's cooking seemed to envelop the whole house or the sweet sound of Nunnally's voice as the two sisters lounged in Lelouch's bed during the night.

The raven haired girl didn't mind where she and Nunnally ended up, at the end of the day she was just glad to have her sister by her side. Lelouch knew just how much Nunnally had to sacrifice so that she was well taken care of, the moment they had landed in Japan she just knew Nunnally wasn't the same innocent, lovable terror she had known. The summer they had spent at the Kururugi shrine showed Lelouch just how much her and Nunnally's role have changed since losing their mother. Given the fact that she was getting used to being crippled and blind Nunnally had had to do most of the heavy lifting, even though Lelouch offered numerous times to help, and that just meant Lelouch had to take a break from being the older sibling for awhile and pretend she didn't feel her heart break every time she heard Nunnally cry out in frustration or hear the muffled cries at night when Nunnally thought she couldn't hear. Lelouch knew of course that they had been exiled to Japan, Schneizel was the first one to have told her a brief story of what happened before Nunnally did back in the hospital, but she never pressed for the entire story from Nunnally for she knew her sister would just get upset and she didn't want to add to the younger girl's worries.

When the war hit Lelouch had to pretend that every time Nunnally told her that the rotting foul smell that was assaulting her senses was a landfill was the truth and not the thousands of dead corpses she knew were littered around them. She knew that Nunnally was just trying to protect her from the horrors they were forced to endure but Lelouch was frustrated at that point, she was the big sister, she was one who should have to shield her sister away from the horrible sights before them, not the other way around. At the very least, though she couldn't actually see her sister's emotions, every time she heard Nunnally begin to show her emotions and break down she simply squeezed Suzaku's shoulders and immediately the boy would walk towards Nunnally and allow Lelouch to just hold her sister's face and whisper some comforting words. Though they got off to a rocky start Lelouch was glad that the boy that was the heir to the Kururugi house was with them throughout the invasion for she knew that if it was just her and Nunnally they would've likely been killed by the soldiers within a day or two of the invasion, but more than that Suzaku was kept the two siblings sane most of the time. When things became too hard for the younger Vi Britannia Suzaku would immediately launch into an old Japanese folk tale and just entertain the two girls until they had to walk again. He had been a true friend back then and when they had to part ways it was hard for the three children to say goodbye to one another. And after seven years she had no clue as to what happened to him, she sincerely hoped that he hadn't been killed or joined some terrorist organization to avenge his father and country

Even with the Ashford's neither girl had felt entirely safe. Nunnally had become paranoid at being found by the royal family and had taken great lengths to ensure they would be hidden. And Lelouch, who had wanted to go back to the homeland but stayed for her sisters sake, had had to watch as her sister slowly detached herself from her peers and devoted herself to keeping the small family safe and sound. Lelouch had to have Milly and the rest of the council keep an eye on her sister when she couldn't, especially Rivalz who drove Nunnally everywhere on her requests. She knew she couldn't do much in her position but she used whatever resources she had to keep Nunnally safe at least, even if it meant siding with Schneizel and leaving herself open to his demands.

"Mistress," Lelouch was brought out of her musings as soon as she had heard Sayoko's voice "There's a man here wishing to speak with you."

"Oh? Well let him in then." She heard Sayoko walk away to get unannounced guest. Who would want to see her? Lelouch rarely left the campus so most of her connections outside of the family were all still in school, she couldn't think of anyone in Area 11 outside of school who would want to talk to her right now. As far as she was concerned both Clovis and Nunnally were at the Viceroy's palace and the student council were all in their dorms.

Lelouch heard the door open once again and the extra pair of footsteps that indicated another person with Sayoko. The raven haired girl sat straight in her wheelchair as she heard the footsteps come closer towards her. She heard a sharp intake of breath as the newcomer stopped right in front of her, as well as the thud of the person getting down to the floor. At that point she was confused what was going on, who exactly was this person?

"Your majesty," judging by the voice she could tell the person in front of her was a man, a Britannian to be exact, "My name is Jeremiah Gottwald and I have come here to apologize to you."

"Apologize? Mr. Gottwald I'm sorry to say but I do not think we have ever met before, what is there for you to apologize?"

As Jeremiah Gottwald knelt before the eldest daughter of Lady Marianne he could feel himself slightly tremble as his mind raced back to the day he regretted the most, the day he failed to protect the Empress. When he had heard that the two daughters were to stay in Area 11 he immediately headed for Ashford Academy where he knew Princess Lelouch would be staying at. He had waited till she arrived, and once she did he had worked up the courage to approach her, to beg for her forgiveness.

"I did not think you would remember but I was a guard at Ares Villa, I was there the day your mother was killed, and you injured. It was my first assignment and I failed in my duty to protect your mother that day. Ever since, that day has not left my mind and have strived to make up for it in some way and now, now that you and your sister are alive," he bowed his head as he took notice of the princess' hand clutch tightly onto the arms of her wheelchair "I come before you to beg for your forgiveness for my failure to protect your family that day."

Lelouch gripped tightly onto the arms of her wheelchair as she thought back to that day. It wasn't a pleasant memory, she didn't remember most of it, trauma her doctors had said, but what she does remember was the sounds of the bullets hitting glass, the immense pain she felt all over her body as shell backwards onto the floor, and the sight of her mother's lifeless eyes. She had always wondered who was responsible, everyone said it was terrorists but she knew better. They had been in Ares Villa, one of the most secure places in Pendragon, if terrorists had gotten through it would be because someone let them slip past the guards. Even as a child she knew that many members of the court did not like her mother, a commoner who rose to the ranks of Empress, and by extension her and Nunnally. She had tried her best to shield Nunnally from the ruthlessness of the court but after their mother had died she knew that those days of innocence for Nunally were long gone.

She pushed those memories away and sat straighter as she faced the man in front of her, maybe the one man who could help her find the people responsible for her mother's death.

"Sayoko," she rolled herself over to the table "Please prepare some tea for our guest. Sir Gottwald, why don't you come and join me?"

"Oh-Uh- It would be an honor your highness." Jeremiah got up and walked towards the chair that was at the table. To say that Jeremiah was shocked was an understatement, he had expected the princess to scream at him or order for his head, but to join her fro tea was not any of the scenarios he had envisioned.

"Sir Gottwald," He looked up at the princess as the maid brought in the tea and began to prepare "if you were there that day does that mean that you have any idea who killed my mother?"

"Your Highness I have spent years trying to make up for my failure that day, but suffice to say. No, I have no idea who pulled the trigger"

Lelouch sighed "I suspected as much," she said "It was a long shot that you knew who ordered the attack"

"But I assure you Your Highness, I have devoted every day of my life to trying and make up for that failure. And now I leave the fate of my life in your hands"

Lelouch was shocked to say the least. She would never have expected to have the leader of the Purist Faction kneeling before her, the commoner Princess, and leaving his fate in her hands.

"Sir Gottwald, are you saying you would do anything I asked of you?"

"Yes, Your Highness. If you ordered me to take my own life at this moment, I would do so with no hesitation"

"Now now let's not be hasty, I believe someone as loyal as you could be very useful"


	6. Chapter 6

"And this Your Highness is where we test our soldiers on their piloting skills" said General Johnson, the head of military training in Area 11.

Nunnally looked out onto the field at two Sutherlands that were engaged in combat. It had been almost a week since she returned from the homeland, and each day was spent getting acquainted with her new role as Sub-Viceroy. Clovis didn't want to overwhelm her with all the roles and responsibilities so he had started small by introducing her to the staff at the Governor's Palace, then General Bartley had shown her what duties she was to take on as well as giving her a brief report on the situation in the area, afterwards Clovis had hosted a small dinner with a few of the nobles in the Area so she would, as he put it, make friends in the court. Today consisted of touring the military facilities and getting to know each of the military heads. General Bartley was the only with her as Clovis had other matters to deal with.

"We put our soldiers through rigorous training in order to ensure that we have only the best in our military" added Johnson as one Sutherland was disarmed by the other "Our knightmare pilot testing is even more rigorous so that the pilots are skilled to handle any situation they encounter, whether it be from riots to terrorist attacks"

Nunnally scanned the field in front of her as the soldiers exited the damaged Sutherlands. They were several different groups of soldiers undergoing various exercises, from obstacle courses to the shooting range. The place was alive with activity as everyone seemed to never stop moving.

"General, why don't you show us the special research division? I'm sure Princess Nunnally would like to see what we've been developing for the next generation knightmare frames"

"Oh of course. Your Highness, I'm sure you'll be fascinated by the work being done here. We-"

Nunnally droned him out as she took notice of a small group of soldiers all huddled around a figure on the floor. She paused for a moment as she heard what they were saying.

"Filthy Eleven! No matter what you call yourself you'll never be a Britannian! You should just stay in the ghetto's where you belong!" The soldier speaking punched the person on the floor with each word he spoke.

"Your Highness?" asked Bartley as he noticed that she had stopped walking with them "Is everything alright?"

Nunnally walked straight towards the group, ignoring the shouts of cry from Bartley to come back. She stopped right in front of them and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me but just what do you think you're doing?" She said, trying her to best to sound as intimidating yet regal as she could.

The men stopped hitting the Japanese on the floor, but didn't bother to turn around yet. One of them, the leader she presumed as he seemed to be a captain judging from his uniform, sneered before turning around.

"Now just who do you think you are to tell me what to –" He stopped as he finally got a proper glimpse of her. The entire group seemed to straighten up as they saw her.

News of her and Lelouch's survival should be circulating the media circuit by now, nearly everyone in the entire nation should at least have an idea as to how she looked like. And if not, Clovis had ordered for posters to be put around the area with her face plastered on it so that people would know she was Sub-Viceroy. She tried to talk him out of it, but it was exactly the type of announcement Clovis would go for; showing off with a hint of regality.

Nunnally stood up straighter as a bid to try and look intimidating, which was hard as the men were about a foot taller than her, and her dress made her look like she was ready to go to a ball rather than lead a country _(AN: Think what she wore as Viceroy but the bottom is more puffy)_.

"I'm Nunnally Vi Britannia, seventeenth princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, and your new Sub-Viceroy" Nunnally hoped she sounded intimidating enough to the men. This was the first time she would be using her status against somebody, and to be quite frank she wasn't sure how to do it so well.

The men immediately stood straighter and kneeled before her.

"Apologies Your Highness, we didn't know it was you" answered the captain.

Nunnally looked past the group kneeling and zeroed in on the Japanese still trying to get up from the floor. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the face of the man. _'No, it can't be him. Why would he be here of all places?'_

But her doubts her crushed when the man stood up as well and saw her face for the first time. Nunnally forgot where she was for a moment as the two caught eyes, bewildered violet meeting confused green.

"Private, where are your manners! This is the Sub-Viceroy, show her some respect!" the shout of General Johnson snapped the man out of his surprise, and to her utter dismay, he knelt down before her as well.

Johnson turned to her "Your Highness I am so sorry for them. I assure you I will personally see to it that he is disciplined"

Nunnally continued to stare at the private before her "You mean the Britannians, right General?"

Johnson looked taken aback at her words, he looked briefly at Bartley before turning back to her with his head held high "Your Highness, I mean no offense, but I'm sure Captain Miller and his men had a good reason-"

"What reason is good enough for them to beat up a helpless man?" She turned to the General and stared at him straight in the eyes, mustering as much authority as she could in her body.

Johnson and the others looked like fish out of water as they stared at her, clearly not expecting for her, a Britannian princess, to stand up for a number. They clearly thought she was like the rest of Britannia; looked down at numbers and didn't care what happened to them as long as Britannians came out on top. But after spending seven years in the Area, witnessing first-hand the brutality of her home country, it was safe to say that Nunnally was nothing like the rest of her fellow Britannians. She couldn't stand the sight of people being treated wrong simply because they didn't have enough power to defend themselves. Before there was nothing she could do as she had to be careful not to draw attention to herself and Lelouch, but now she could actually do something, and damned if she wasn't going to try her best to prevent any more injustice's in the world from happening.

She ignored their blank stares and continued "You well deliver the appropriate punishment to Captain Miller and his men this instant, do you understand?"

Johnson looked to Bartley for help but found none as the man simply shook his head at him, clearly wanting the General to go along with what she had said. Johnson sighed as she looked at her "Of course Your Highness," he turned to the other Britannians still kneeling on the floor "You four, get up and head straight to my office now!" His voice slightly wavered as he gave the order, clearly never having to reprimand Britannians before for this sort of thing.

Captain Miller and his group stood up and walked away, leaving the Private with his head still bowed before her.

"General Bartley I'd like to have a moment alone with this man" she requested as Johnson and the others walked away.

"Y-Your Highness please I must argue against this. This man could be dangerous!" he exclaimed, clearly scandalized by her request.

Nunnally dropped her authority act and turned to looked at Bartley with the sweetest look she could muster "General Bartley please. I could handle myself, and if ever we're in the army. I'm sure if anything happens I'll be well protected, correct?"

Bartley looked at a loss for words at her request but relented in the end. Even with his position, he couldn't refuse a request from the royal family.

He walked away, walking only a few feet away where she was sure they were still within his reach if anything were to happen.

Nunnally turned to look at the man before her and let her body relax a little bit.

"Oh come on now," she smiled a little bit as she stared at the man before her "You of all people don't have to do that. Stand up for goodness sake's Suzaku"

* * *

It started out like any normal day. Suzaku woke up, got dressed, ate alone at the mess hall, attended all his trainings, then ran into Miller and his group for his weekly beatings. He expected to walk away with a couple for bruises, he didn't expect to run into his long lost friend.

Sure he had heard about Lelouch and Nunnally's survival, and the younger girl's appointment as Sub-Viceroy, but even if they were in the same area he never expected to run into her again, especially with her new position. Even if he was an Honorary Britannian he was still considered a Number by the others, meaning he'd never even be able to get near Nunnally. Yet here she was, smiling down on him as if nothing had changed.

Suzaku stood up and dusted off the dirt from his pants. "It's good to see-" He got cut off as Nunnally barreled into him, squeezing him tight.

"Oh thank goodness you're alive," Nunnally mumbled into his chest as he stared at her, surprised he'd hug her with Bartley only a few feet away, looking scandalized at the situation "I always wondered what happened to you. I feared the worst"

Suzaku gently pried the young princess off of him, then held her at arms-length. "It's been awhile hasn't it?" he chuckled as he let go of her arms.

"Sure has been," she smiled at him. Happy to see a friendly face for a change, then she remembered where they were and her smile dropped "Suzaku, why are you in the army?"

He looked at her with a confused face "I've become an Honorary Britannian Nunnally"

She looked at him with surprise "W-What? Why?"

"Why? Because I want to be able to help people, I want to try and put an end to all this mindless violence"

"So you joined the army to stop the violence? You're aware you'll be fighting against your own people"

Suzaku sighed, the hypocrisy of his situation was always on the forefront of his mind but he figured that joining the military would be better than becoming a terrorist "Yes I'm aware, but I figured it's better to try and change the system from within rather than fight against it"

She had to roll her eyes at him, it was just the type of thing Suzaku would do but then again… "Suzaku what you're doing I really noble but no offense, what could possibly do? The system is geared against Numbers, there's no hope for you to change them when you'll probably end up at the lowest ranks"

"I didn't say change was going to be immediate Nunnally, it'll be slow but cooperating with the system is still better than mindless killings"

"Hmmmm," she gave him a sly smirk as an idea popped into her head "If you really want to change the system then why don't you accompany me to the welcome ball Clovis is throwing me tomorrow night?"

"What?! Nunnally I'm not so sure about that -"

"Why not, what's the big deal? You want to make a change, and I could really use a familiar face there tomorrow"

"Nunnally -"

"Pretty please?" She gave him her best pouting face with wide, pleading eyes "Come on Suzaku, it'll be nice to have you there"

He looked at her, all sweet with her round big eyes and pouty lips, oh she knew he could never say no to her when she had that look "Ohhh, you're not going to stop until i say yes are you?"

"Nope!"

"Alright, I'll go. But I'm telling you right now Nunnally, it might ruin your reputation to the other nobles"

"So what? They can say what they want but it won't matter to me, as long as those I care about are happy that's all that matters" She gave me a big smile that didn't seem right upon the face of a Sub-Viceroy of one of the most volatile Area's. Suzaku gave her a smile as she dragged him to where Bartley was, barking orders that he was going back with them to the Viceroy's palace, much to the chargin of the man. It was nice to know that despite her new position as Sub-Viceroy, she was still the same Nunnally he knew from seven years ago; the little who was all sweet and charming yet could pack a punch if you crossed her side. Yes, things were different but it didn't seem to change much where it mattered.

* * *

AAAAAND SUZAKU'S BACK HAHAHA. Oh I love him so much, probably one of my favorite character's so much because I just love his story arc so much.

If you all have any ideas how I should go about this fic feel free to message me because I'm getting mind blocked about what to day for Shinjuku, which will come up soon don't you all worry.

Anyways, feel free to comment! Have a lovely day everyone 3


	7. Chapter 7

Giggles erupted from the black haired girl as she was hugged tightly by her sister.

"Nunnally it's so good to see you," Lelouch pried Nunnally's hand out of the hug as she touched her sister's face "I think this week's been the longest we've gone without seeing each other"

"I know, it's been absolute hell not having you with me" Nunnally sat down in the chair opposite her sister as she held onto her sister's hand, not wanting to let go just yet.

They were in Nunnally's apartment in the Viceroy's Palace. Lelouch had come from Ashford in order to get ready for the ball Clovis was throwing for Nunnally. She didn't want to come at first but she couldn't resist Nunnally's pleading.

She gripped her sister's hand as she smiled "How have you been Nunnally? I've heard you've had quite a busy week"

"It's been a tiring week. Clovis and Bartley have been hounding me non-stop about my responsibilities, and introducing me to key members in the government as well as some 'allies' I ought to have"

"Well it is smart to have allies Nunnally, especially with our position in court so precarious right now. You need to surround yourself with people you can trust that isn't simply our family"

"Oh Lelouch, ever the worrier" Nunnally looked towards the door as it opened and saw Suzaku step out, dressed in a suit that didn't quite look right on him. She turned back to her sister who was still smiling at her, she gave a slight smirk as she quietly beckoned for Suzaku to walk over "Speaking of people we trust, I have a surprise for you"

Lelouch quirked an eyebrow at her "Oh Nunnally you know you don't have to get me anything. All I want is to spend time with you"

"Regardless I think this one you'll enjoy"

Suzaku stood next to her sister. He felt a lump get caught in his throat as he caught a good look of her. Lelouch was dressed in an elegant, lavender ball gown with her hair all done up. He hasn't seen her in seven years, and this was quite a jump from when he last saw her; in old clothes stained with dirt, and slightly ripped from their journey across war torn Japan. When Nunnally had told him that she and Lelouch were going to seek shelter with the Ashford's he thought he'd never see them again. After all, in the new Area he was simply a number, and despite them never reclaiming their birth right, they were still Britannians; a whole social class above him. There was no way he'd ever be reunited with them. But here he was, dressed in a fancy suit about to attend a ball with a bunch of nobles escorting the new Sub-Viceroy and seeing Lelouch once more.

Nunnally took his hand and gently replaced it with hers in Lelouch's hand. Immediately the black haired princess face scrunched up in confusion as she tried to place whose hand she was holding. It was familiar, but this hand, it couldn't be…could it?

She gripped onto the hand as she felt tears well up in her eyes, praying to God she wasn't wrong "Suzaku? Is it really you?"

The hand gripped back in return and she felt her breath stop for a moment as she heard his voice for the first time in seven years "It's good to see you again Lelouch"

Tears fell down from both their eyes as Lelouch swept him up in a hug "Oh thank goodness you're alright. I've missed you so much Suzaku"

He gripped onto her tighter as she buried her face in his shoulder "I've missed you too Lulu"

She wiped the tears from her eyes as she released him, but still held onto his hand "But how are you here? I thought you and your family were going into hiding after the invasion"

"We did, but I joined the military. Nunnally found me in the base here"

"You joined the military? Your family must have been upset with that decision"

"Oh they were, but I cut ties with them when I became an Honorary Britannian"

Lelouch opened her mouth to ask another question but a knock stopped her. Suzaku immediately let go of her hand and stood behind her as Nunnally called the person in.

"Your Highnesses," a guard entered the room, and his eyes narrowed as he spotted Suzaku "The guests have arrived, they're all simply waiting for you"

Nunnally stood up and dusted off imaginary dirt from her dress "Well then," she turned to look to Suzaku with a big smile "Ready Suzaku?"

* * *

 _'Oh I can't believe she actually allowed an Eleven to come to this'_

 _'Even a princess has needs you know'_

 _'He's probably only here as some kind of servant to Princess Lelouch, he is pushing her wheelchair after all'_

 _'Probably only here to promote the Honorary Britannian system'_

Suzaku tightened his grip on the handles of Lelouch's wheelchair as they entered the room. The ballroom was packed full of nobles in elegant suits and dresses, they applauded and smiled when Nunnally and Lelouch were announced, but as they walked around the room he could hear their snide comments. Boy did Britannians know how to plaster on smiles.

He had tried to talk Nunnally out of bringing him to the ball, but she had been adamant that he come with her and Lelouch. He tried giving various excuses to her about why he couldn't attend; his commander wouldn't allow him, he didn't have a suit, it would hurt her image, etc. But she simply gave him a small smirk and began to work on all excuses he gave her. Nunnally had talked, more of ordered his superior, to let him off for one day, she brought in one of the most famous designers in Area 11 to make him a suit, and she set her foot down when Bartley had tried to talk her out of bringing him as her escort.

A hand touching his brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked down to see Lelouch's hand on his.

"Are you alright Suzaku? You seem a bit tense" He stopped for a moment as he tried his best to calm down.

"Yeah I'm alright, just –"

"It's the nobles isn't it?" She lowered her hand from his, and clenched it a bit on her lap.

"What?" It seemed her mood had shifted quite suddenly.

"I'm not dumb Suzaku, I've heard what they've been saying all night. You'd have to be a fool not to notice"

"It's no big deal, I'm used to it by now"

"Well you shouldn't be. They think that just because their nobility they're immediately better than everyone else. Those below them are nothing but dirt on their shoes. I'm pretty sure you're better than all of these nobles combined"

"Lelouch you shouldn't say that," he looked around hastily, and saw some people giving them dirty looks and shaking their heads "Some –"

"Someone might what? Hear me? Retaliate against me? Please," she scoffed "As if they'll do anything against me besides spread rumors, which will do nothing as I simply do not care. I may not be as powerful as my other brothers or sisters, but I'm still a princess of the Empire and that holds some sway over people, even if I am considered 'weak'"

Even though he knew she couldn't see it, he gave her a sad smile "You're not weak Lelouch, in fact I think you're one of the strongest people I've ever met"

Which was true. When he first met Lelouch and Nunnally it hadn't occurred in his childish mind that her injuries were permanent, so he had teased and tormented the two sisters because of his childish pride, but when he and Lelouch had been stuck down a hole he gained a new insight for the young princess. Most girls he knew would've been frightened at their situation, probably would've cried and screamed his ears off, but Lelouch had remained calm and worked out a strategy to try and stay afloat once the water started rushing in. He gained a new respect for her that day, and it only grew as they traversed Japan once the invasion happened. She knew she couldn't do much, and hadn't wanted to be a burden so she had come up with plans for them as they made their way through the area. He was pretty sure that if Lelouch and Nunnally had gone back to their family once the war ended, Lelouch, even with her disabilities, would've managed to wrangle her way into becoming some sort of tactician for Britannia.

He laughed a little as Lelouch blushed at this statement.

"What's so funny Suzaku?!"

"It seems you're just a school girl underneath that rough exterior of yours"

"Oh shut up" She blushed even more as he laughed at her.

* * *

Nunnally watched from across the room at her sister and Suzaku. Clovis had made Lelouch come tonight because 1. He wanted to see her again, and 2. He thought it would be great way to introduce her in society. Yet all night Clovis has been dragging her around the room all night to meet nobles, and various other officials, and leaving Lelouch all alone with Suzaku. Therefore, she was glad that Suzaku had agreed to go to this, even if she left him with little room to say no, as it gave Lelouch a chance to be with someone she was actually comfortable.

The nobles, who she was pretty sure she had never even met before in her life, were kissing up to her and showing how grateful, and pleased they were when she and her sister had been discovered alive, even if seven years ago they were probably cheering that the 'Commoner Princesses' were dead and gone. She had to keep the fake smile on her face despite her wanting to give them a piece of her mind. Britannian nobility was all about who you knew, and what title you held. So despite her being the black sheep of the family, she was still a Princess, and the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11, which meant that everyone was eager to get into her good graces. At least until she messed up and became a social pariah in both the social, and political sense.

"Sulking are you? That's no way a Sub-Viceroy should act"

She turned around and saw Clovis standing behind her with a big grin on his face, a champagne glass in his hand.

Nunnally put on a smile as she walked closer to Clovis "I'm not sulking Big Brother, simply resting before I have to go back out and meet the rest of these wonderful people"

He chuckled at her "I understand what you mean Nunnally. These things to get boring after a while"

She placed her hand over her heart, feigning shock at him "Do my ears deceive me? Is Clovis La Britannia really admitting that he gets bored of parties?"

"Laugh all you want, but believe it or not my life does not revolve around parties. I have managed to rule over Area 11 these past years have I not?"

Putting aside the fact that hostility between Eleven's and Britannian's have only risen in Clovis' time, use of refrain is rampant more than ever now, and terrorists were becoming more active then yes, Clovis has done a wonderful job of being Viceroy.

But of course Nunnally said none of those things aloud, so she simply smiled at him and grabbed a glass of iced tea off of one of the waiter's tray.

Clovis seemed oblivious to her avoidance of the subject, and simply nodded his head in the direction of Lelouch and Suzaku.

"I'm surprised you invited an Honorary Britannian. Remind me how you know him again?"

Nunnally looked in the direction Clovis was staring at, and saw Lelouch and Suzaku laughing and smiling at one another, oblivious to the glances they were getting from the people around them.

"It was Suzaku's family who was entrusted with Lelouch and I's care when we were sent to Japan. When the war broke out, he helped us survive"

"So this is about paying him back for helping you?"

"Not necessarily," she turned to look at Clovis "It's more about having someone I know I can trust around"

He raised an eyebrow at her, his smile slightly dropping "Don't you trust me Nunnally?"

 _'Not in a million years'_ she thought, but she simply smiled at him and put her arm around his, dragging him away from Lelouch and Suzaku "Of course I do, I just think I need to surround myself with more people I can trust"

"Well I am glad you think because I want to introduce you to Baron Volstagg" just as he said that a chubby, grey haired man appeared in front of them with a wide smile.

"Your Highness' what an honor it is –"

Nunnally tuned him out as she nodded, and smiled at him, hearing the same lines she's heard from every other noble here. She sighed as she sipped from her glass in an effort to hide her discomfort, this was going to be a long night.

* * *

After the party, Lelouch had to go back to Ashford and so that left Nunnally alone with Suzaku. Currently they were both sitting in the living room of her apartment, simply reminiscing about old times.

"Do you remember when you scared Lelouch by putting a frog in her lap?" Nunnally laughed as she remembered that incident. Her sister was practically fuming at Suzaku for scaring her as both he and Nunnally laughed their hearts out.

"God, she was so mad at me," he closed his eyes with a sigh as thought about it "But I think that was more because I hurt her pride than the fact that I actually scared her"

Nunnally let out a wistful sigh as she shook her head with laughter "Lelouch never liked letting her guard down, especially around you," her eyes went wide with shock as she processed what she just said, and immediately she stood straighter as she tried to fix her sentence "I mean because she wanted to keep up a strong façade in front of you, not because of anything else"

Suzaku stared at her a bit, blinking as Nunnally rambled on before apprehensively changing the topic "It was nice to spend time with her tonight, wish we could've spent more time with you though"

"Sorry about that, I didn't think Clovis would want to introduce me to nearly every of his allies in one night"

"Well it's nice you're spending time with him. Though in all honesty I would never have pictured you back with your family"

"If things had gone my way, Lelouch and I would still be back at Ashford Academy. Far away from all of this"

Suzaku stared at Nunnally for awhile, simply observing as her expression fell, and her hands seem to clench slightly. He knew how Nunnally felt about her family. When they were kids, even before Britannia invaded, Nunnally did not hide what she truly felt about her homeland. And those feelings only intensified as she watched Knightmare's, and soldiers invade the streets of Japan and slaughter all those who opposed them.

 _'I swear Suzaku… I will one day…OBLITERATE BRITANNIA!'_

Surely her feelings have changed now, right?

"Hey Suzaku," her words shook him out of his thoughts, and she looked at him, a thoughtful expression on her face "You said you wanted to invoke change from within right?"

He blinked slightly at her, perplexed at her question "Uh, yeah. Why?"

She gave him an innocent smile, giving him the idea that the topic would be light, yet her body language told him something else "How about you come join my personal forces then?"

Suzaku stared at her for a moment, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think what to answer. Him? An Eleven join the personal forces of the Sub-Viceroy? It wasn't uncommon that Number's rise the ranks, but highest they ever got would be some low level officer. If he joined the personal forces? It would be a game changer for his fellow Japanese, but could he really use Nunnally like that? Would he really risk Nunnally's precarious position amongst the nobles to forward his own ideals?

"What?" was all he could muster amongst his jumbling thoughts.

"I'm in the process of picking out my personal forces, Clovis thought it would be a good way to try and cement myself in the military aspects. Gain soldier's trust if you will. Most of the candidates are excellent soldiers, but at the end of the day they're just faces to me. I will have to pick from that pool, but I would prefer if there is at least someone in my forces who I know I can trust whole heartedly"

"What about the other Britannian's?" Nunnally scoffed at his statement, she already knew what he would say "It's a serious concern Nunnally. You've just been re-introduced into Britannian society, you're the Sub-Viceroy. You have an image to protect, and if you put me in your personal forces you will sever any ties you hope to make in court. Listen to me Nunnally," he saw her open her mouth to answer back, but he had to get this all out before she could reason her way out of this "I know you don't care what they think of you. But you have to, especially in your positon. You can't afford to come off as some Number sympathizer in your first few days in office. You'll only get a handful of support, and if you want to protect Lelouch, you will need all the help you can get. Lelouch needs you Nunnally, and you will need all the allies you can muster to keep her safe. Turning your nose up at the other nobles, and siding with Numbers, will only make you enemies"

It was a low blow, he knew that. But Suzaku knew the best way to get Nunnally to see reason would be to simply mention Lelouch. She was the younger sister yet she had acted like the older one the moment the two arrived in Japan. Nunnally was always doting on Lelouch; ensuring their little shack was wheelchair friendly for the crippled princess, picking fights with any who dared harm her older sister, taking charge of the entire maintenance of their shack so that Lelouch wouldn't have to worry about a thing. Nunnally's motivation for doing practically anything was her sister, and the same went for Lelouch. The two girls had only each other, and both would do anything for the other.

And yet, looking at Nunnally's face. Her eyes alight with determination, her body straight as she leaned back in the couch, staring at him with something akin to amusement. He knew a plan was forming in that little head of hers.

"You're right Suzaku," he was taken aback slightly, had he actually managed to win in an argument against Nunnally for once? "But that's why I need you," now he was slightly confused "Having you stand side by me, literally or figuratively, sends a message. I want to help the Japanese, I want to give them back their country, and you can help me do that"

"You don't have that power Nunnally" What on Earth was she talking about?

"Not yet," she gave a small smirk, and for some reason it sent shivers done his spine "But help me, and I can help you. We can change the system from within _together_ Suzaku. We can do it; I know we can. I can simply order you of course. I am the Sub-Viceroy after all, but I want to give you a choice in the matter"

Suzaku stared at her for a moment. The offer was enticing. It was a step closer to helping his people, a step towards changing the system just like he wanted to. No bloodshed, no violence, just peace. It was his chance to try and fix his mistake from seven years ago, his chance to get his people freedom.

"All right, I'll join you"

Nunnally smiled. With Suzaku on her side, she could surely create a gentle world for Lelouch. Now she simply had to stabilize her image in the Area, and she already knew how to do that.

* * *

As always please feel free to message me if you any suggestions for the story :3


End file.
